R123 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Yesterday 5th June I was invited by a thai friend to visit HTMS Chakri Naruebet. An aircraft carrier vessel which is moored at the dock within The Thai navy museum in Sattahip. A drive of about 1 hour or so from Pattaya. The vessel so i believed was open to all the public. Necessary to provide proof of ID before getting onto the vessel. So as a foreigner i brought along my passport. On arriving at the museum we went to where the vessel was docked. An official was at the boarding point screening people and I could see that there many people, including Thai families already on the vessel. However when the official saw me it was made clear to my Thai friend that as I was non Thai I was not allowed onto the vessel as it was still in active service and we were turned away. What a waste of my time! This is just another example of the continuing and growing discrimination against foreigners in Thailand; be it for new unfair immigration requirements, land ownership, price discrimination and so on, etc etc. There will surely come a time if not here already that most of us who contribute a lot financially to the Thai economy and to the well being of the people here will say enough is enough and look elsewhere to live. Am I correct or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geronimo Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Actually their double pricing is against their own constitution which states that all people, regardless of race, are treated equally. Be a brave farang that tried to sue though! Count me out as I live here! A Thai lawyer told me this btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiBiker Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Which constitution would that be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Your Thainess Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Your reaction is a bit over the top, though I hesitate to say you are incorrect. In all likelihood, though, they probably just don't want non-Thais observing and photographing the derelict state of the carrier. They also might not want Thai-speaking foreigners mingling with Thais as they go through their spiel about the glories of the ship and the Thai Navy in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geronimo Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Which constitution would that be? The one they just trashed! But do not fear, it will be in the new one too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob13 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 (edited) Makes sense, seeing how it's an active vessel. Edited June 6, 2016 by Rob13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaiduncankk Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 The same happened to me over 20 years ago, the reason given being 'security reasons'. I didn't lose sleep over it, and went on the piss instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muzmurray Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 The simplest of Google searches would have given you all the information you needed to visit the ship. "HTMS Chakri Naruebet (เรือรบหลวงจักรีนฤเบศร) is an offshore Patrol Helicopter Carrier anchored at the Chuk Samet Deep Seaport. The king named the ship “Chakri Naruebet” meaning "Sovereign of the Chakri Dynasty". It was constructed in Spain in 1994. It is an 11-storey ship measuring 182 m in length and 30.5 m in width. It is equipped with modern weapons, as well as long-range surveillance radar. The important missions during wartime are the flagship of the fleet, controlling and commanding the fleet in the sea, as well as the aircraft carrier and air defence mission. It is open daily from 08:00-16:00. It is closed only on Wednesdays from 08:00-12:00. Admission free. International visitors seeking admission must write a letter to the Commander of the Royal Thai Fleet, Sattahip, Chonburi, 20180. For more information, Tel. +66 38 438 547-62 ext. HTMS Chakri Naruebet." I think it really is a case of inadequate prior planning and preparation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhunBENQ Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Xenophobic and ignorant. Not less, not more. All foreigners potential spys/saboteurs. All Thai people good heart. Guess what would happen when there is such a public show in your country and foreigners rejected. A military ship to visit in Germany, no Brits, no Yanks, no Aussies allowed for security reasons. An international outcry would be the result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piersbeckett Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 (edited) I think it's always been (for a long time, anyway) that foreigners are allowed to live here but only in a certain way, that way being in a state of constant flux for example years ago foreign food was scarce now it's relatively plentiful but restrictions such as the one you've sited have arguably increased and in my experience are certainly more readily enforced. The desire to relocate i suggest will depend on your circumstances here, whether or not you're working/earning here and/or the sort of life you've managed to carve out for yourself and your willingness or not to adapt to changed and changing times. Edited June 6, 2016 by piersbeckett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeniau96 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Very common for active service naval vessels to restrict tours to their own nationals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fishin2 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 WHY the <deleted> do you think you have the right as a foreign national civilian to set foot upon another country's military installation or piece of equipment is beyond my imagination???And then to come here and try to bash Thailand is again soooooo typical of a group of posters here.Civilians have whatever right a military deems appropriate, NOT what a civilian wants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeseeker Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 seems to be the military government in Thailand will try to make it more and more uncomfortable for foreigners living in Thailand. lets face it the only reason they tolerate the foreigner is for the $$$ we can give them. It sure beats working for a living.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geriatrickid Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 The rules are no secret; foreigners are not allowed on Thai military facilities. Welcome to Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuestHouse Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 OP you should have asked one of the 'Commanders' standing around if you could have a tour around his Sub' instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinneil Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Big fuss about nothing, it has been known for years farangs have to have written permission before boarding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuestHouse Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 The rules are no secret; foreigners are not allowed on Thai military facilities. Welcome to Thailand. Odd that because I have on a number of occasions been to the open day at Sattahip, including on one occassion a ride in a navy helecopter. Coulor blind guard perhaps?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 The rules are no secret; foreigners are not allowed on Thai military facilities. Welcome to Thailand. Odd that because I have on a number of occasions been to the open day at Sattahip, including on one occassion a ride in a navy helecopter. Coulor blind guard perhaps?! There's always the exception to the rule GH as you must be very much aware after all these years in LOS. The OP or anyone else wishing to frame a Thai military security requirement as racist is on a hiding for nothing. It is their country, their rules and their regulations and anyone claiming they wouldn't get away with it in [insert the name of your homeland where you chose NOT to live here] does have other, quite obvious options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyg Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 No offense but who cares, really. This topic has been beat to death. I spent time in transit at U-Tapao, Ubon and Korat on the way to Vietnam. The USA provided the infrastructure at the bases as well as building most of Sukhumvit Road to transport troops and equipment and many other projects. The ship in question was built in Spain and the Harriers that were on deck at one time were from the UK. It's turning into a rust bucket. No problem. Thailand. Love it or leave it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 I toured the navy facility in Songkhla during their annual open house. Could have toured a few of the ships as well, but the line of Thais looked like at least an hour, maybe longer. And I just wasn't that interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNret Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 I'm retired U.S. Navy as my screen name suggests. As a junior officer, I would stand watch as Officer of the Deck in port. When we opened the ship to the public, there were many times when the rules were U.S. only. The theory being that there was some sort of loyalty among Americans that they were less likely to conduct sabotage or espionage about the ship. It was all a matter of security, for which each state has the right. So Thailand is acting as they see fit to protect state interests. Try not to lose any sleep over it. It is not discriminatory in that many other nations act in exactly the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony0339 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 The rules are no secret; foreigners are not allowed on Thai military facilities. Welcome to Thailand. Wow that's strange becaise 2 years ago I worked on a Thai Army base in Bang su for 3 years. Guys if you don't know what the true information is, please refrain from posting. For the life of me, I don't understand why foreigners in Thailand have the need to argue about Thailand on a forum. Most of the members of Thai Visa live in Thailand so if you don't like the way it is, there are plenty of other countries to go. Just sayin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bark Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Makes sense, seeing how it's an active vessel. Guess you haven't lived here very long. It is active and that's why it's only for Thai's to see. There have been many stories about similar cases over the year. Good that you figured it out. Now we only need to make the author of the story understand , also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D3030 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 There will surely come a time if not here already that most of us who contribute a lot financially to the Thai economy and to the well being of the people here will say enough is enough and look elsewhere to live. Am I correct or not? Absolutely!!You go first! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atyclb Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 please sneak onboard and gather information on the "made in spain weaponry from 1994" surely that is valuable information. imo would be worth a visit if it had real spain tapas chefs running a restaurant onboard, otherwise it is legacy hardware Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandtee Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 In a similar vein I spoke to a farang who had driven his family from up country to attend his brother in laws ashes scattering ceremony, from a boat setting out from the Navy Sattahip base.He was not allowed in. If the navy was that worried about a farang being a spy why not have a guard accompany him on and off the base? Show a bit of compassion and common sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob13 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Makes sense, seeing how it's an active vessel. Guess you haven't lived here very long. It is active and that's why it's only for Thai's to see. There have been many stories about similar cases over the year. Good that you figured it out. Now we only need to make the author of the story understand , also. I don't understand your post. I don't live here, I'm just here for a few months . Just seems like common sense to not let foreign nationals on an active navy ship, even if they are from an allied nation. A retired ship that's been set up for tourism would seem odd to not let foreigners on, that's not the case here though. No doubt if it were the case though I'd imagine the admission fee would be about 10 times what the Thais pay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaiduncankk Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 The rules are no secret; foreigners are not allowed on Thai military facilities. Welcome to Thailand. Wow that's strange becaise 2 years ago I worked on a Thai Army base in Bang su for 3 years. Guys if you don't know what the true information is, please refrain from posting. For the life of me, I don't understand why foreigners in Thailand have the need to argue about Thailand on a forum. Most of the members of Thai Visa live in Thailand so if you don't like the way it is, there are plenty of other countries to go. Just sayin! In 1993 I was refused for 'security reasons', why would I lie about it ? Just sayin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wabothai Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 WHY the <deleted> do you think you have the right as a foreign national civilian to set foot upon another country's military installation or piece of equipment is beyond my imagination??? And then to come here and try to bash Thailand is again soooooo typical of a group of posters here. Civilians have whatever right a military deems appropriate, NOT what a civilian wants. Thank you for your clarification nr 1 fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bermondburi Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 As someone who is currently living on a military base, I can tell you that they don't just let anyone in.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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